OUIDF approves projects of worth Rs 905 cr for different ULBs

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (OUIDF) has approved nine projects of worth Rs 905.19 crore for various Urban Local Bodies ( ULBs) in its eighth Board of Trustees meeting which was held under the chairmanship of chief secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi at the State Secretariat here on Thursday.

Considering the infrastructural need, social utility and environmental impact of the proposed projects, the Board approved the projects setting time lines for their completion.

The chief secretary advised the departments to mobilize the ULBs to avail and utilize this facility for enhancing their revenue sources and incentivize the better performing ULBs for encouraging other to follow the suit.

He also advised to promote eco-friendly projects like laying of road tops with the material produced from waste plastics. The Urban Development department was also asked to make appropriate waste treatment and disposal systems in the fish and meat markets.

Development Commissioner, R Balakrishnan , present in the meeting, stressed a model wet-market project proposal for replication in other ULBs. The model project should have centralized locker type facility for individual fish sellers. The maintenance of the markets including payment of power bills should be made by the user society of the concerned market, he pointed out.

The approved projects in the meeting included the proposal for establishment of two modern wet market at Unit-IV and Ghatikia in Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), setting up 56 vending zones by side of the road leading to Engineering school in Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), construction of market complex at Ganesh Market in Udala NAC, construction of market complex at Patrapada in Sundargarh, development of sewerage system in east and west towns of Rourkela, improvement of water supply to greater Berhampur and augmentation of water supply to Gopalpur NAC.

The total estimated cost of these projects is Rs.905.19 crore out of which OUIDF would provide Rs 249.02 crore including loan component of Rs 126.81 crore and viable gap funding ( VGF) of Rs 122.21 crore.

The meeting also reviewed the progress of the projects approved earlier by the Board. Prominent among them were modern abattoir at Gadakana in BMC, sewerage system at Sambalpur, sewerage system at Rourkela, solid waste management project at Berhampur, affordable housing projects at Chandrasekharpur and Ghatikia in BMC, bulk water supply project for IIT, NISER, Infocity-II, Jatani and Khurda, water supply in Berhampur Municipal corporation, reclamation of 14 water bodies in Bhubaneswar, reclamation of three water bodies in Berhampur , fish markets at two locations in Sambalpur, reclamation of 7 water bodies in Sambalpur and regional municipal solid waste processing facility for Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

The chief secretary directed to follow up the projects through field supervision and accomplish the mile stones set as per the time schedule.

Available data shows a total amount of Rs 383 crore has been disbursed from OUIDF as loan and VGF against these projects.